"Greg, did you hear me?" Nick punched at his friend's arm.
"Yeah, I heard you, I'm just still a little lost, I guess that would be the best phrase," Greg looked up at the small gathering of friends and coworkers. "Lost, this is confusing the hell out of me."
"What is?" Nick questioned.
"All of this: Sara with Grissom, my God, that just freaks me out. Grissom cooking for all of us, that is beyond weird, you don't think he's going to lace whatever he's cooking with bugs, do ya?" Nick shrugged his shoulders in amusement.
"Sara with Grissom, ugh. I always thought she wanted me. How could she break my heart like that?" Nick's face is slowly turning red and was trying his best not to laugh in the face of his friend. "She..." Greg floundered for a minute.
Nick watched as Sara entered the room, all of their eyes were on her. In fact, everyone in the room looked up at Sara when she entered carrying a large covered dish, using cream colored pot holders in each hand. They were all there: CSI's, detectives, and lab rats.
Jim Brass' voice cut through the silence that had fallen over the room when Sara had come into the room. "Hey Sara, you need help with that?"
"No, Jim. Thanks though. Everybody, please come sit at the table." Sara's voice was a bit louder when she announced the last statement.
Greg, seemingly still in a trance, snapped out of it and was the first to the huge round table. Greg tried to take the dish from Sara's hands, but she shoo'd he away.
"Sit down, Greg. I don't need your help. And don't peek at what's under this dish, until all of the food had been brought out." Sara turned after placing the covered dish in the middle of the table, sitting it on one of the pot holders to keep the heat from absorbing into the dark cherry wood table. "Sit down, everyone. We'll be eating in a few minutes." With that she turned and left the room.
Nick took the seat next to Greg's and whispered to him, "What do you think the Grissom cooked?"
"Why do you keep calling him 'the Grissom', I mean, he is Grissom."
"Well, now that they are married, they are both Grissom and he was the first Grissom, so he is 'the Grissom'. Ya know, kinda like 'the Donald?" Nick sounded logical, but to Greg's ears, it didn't quite make sense.
"I don't get it. But if that's what flips your lid: okay." Greg looked to his left and noticed that Doc Robbins was seated beside him. "Hey, Doc, you think 'the Grissom' has put bugs in our food?"
Albert Robbins looked at Greg like he were a space alien and shrugged his shoulders, with a 'what me worry?" type look. "Greg, I shouldn't think so."
'The Grissom' entered the room with a covered dish in each hand, followed by Sara who had two pitchers of liquid refreshments. She placed the pitchers in the middle of the table on either side of the main dish.
Catherine Willows spoke up, "Sara, is this the set of china that Gil's mother gave you when you married?"
There were 20 place settings on the table, the china was Adams and the pattern was Athens Blue. The silver was a pattern from 1917, Grissom's grandparent's, called Adam. Grissom's mother, Olivia had been an Adams before she married Thomas Grissom. The Adams family was an old American family, direct descendants from the first father and son American Presidents. Sara bristled with pride at the opportunity to actually use the china and the silver. The glassware was from the Premiere set of Paul Revere Crystal.
"Yes, along with the silver and crystal." Sara answered Catherine's question, but was cut short by Grissom's voice.
"If any of you break anything in this set, it is irreplaceable. Greg, please be careful." Gil shot Greg the famous Grissom look, over the rims of his new wire framed glasses. Warrick Brown, sitting to the right of Catherine, burst into laughter, as did the rest of the guests at the Grissom's new house. Grissom continued, "There is iced tea, so fill your glasses. And Sara and I will be right back with the remaining side dishes."
"Grissom?" Sophia Curtis called to her former supervisor.
"Yes?" Gil looked at the new detective and gave her a slight smile.
"What are we having?"
"All in good time, Sophia. Sit and enjoy this meal. We'll be right back with the rest of the meal." Grissom turned his back to the table, placed his right hand in the small of Sara's back and opened the swinging doorway between the formal dining room and the kitchen. They filed in together, smiling.
The laughter was still contagious at the table as the coworkers were telling jokes and generally having a good time, passing the pitchers of tea amongst themselves. Several minutes later, Sara and Gil Grissom walked back into the room, carrying three dishes between them. They sat the covered dishes into the table. Gil quickly gave Sara a kiss on her cheek before they separated to go to their seats. Gil to the empty seat to the right of Wendy Sims and to the left of Mandy Webster. Sara sat next to Bobby Dawson and Sam Vega.
Gil stood to address his family of coworkers and friends. "Good Evening everyone and welcome to our new home. Sara and I are particularly happy, each and every one of you could attend. We have a few special items on our menu tonight: there are chicatana empanadas, which are made with ants." Greg's eyes opened wide as Nick watched him. Grissom continued, "There are grilled tarantula spiders." Mandy began to gag. "There is ant brood tacos and braised ant brood." Greg was beginning to become very pale and were several other guests. "And the main dish is 'silkworm pupae stir-fry. I hope you all enjoy your meal." Grissom sat down, reaching for the main covered dish, suddenly aware the silence in the room was deafening.
Catherine's voice broke the silence, "Gilbert Adams Grissom, you did NOT invite all of us over here to eat bugs, did you?"
Grissom looked up at her, smirking.
The others in the room stared between Sara and Grissom, almost like a tennis match.
Warrick began pulling at his collar.
Bobby began to fold and unfold his napkin.
Brass drank his tea.
Sophia stared only at Grissom, wide-eyed.
Nick watched Greg, as he continued to turn whiter.
David looked at Doc Robbins, shrugged his shoulders and began reaching for the covered dish before him.
Sara looked at Greg, somehow she caught the corner of Grissom's eye with her wave at him. Greg
had seemingly passed out in his seat, flopping comically toward Judy.
Finally, Sara burst out laughing, "No, it's regular vegetable stir-fry, grilled salmon, cauliflower in cheese sauce, eggplant, and summer squash." Greg was beginning to come out of his stupor at the sound of Sara's voice.
"Thank God." Catherine breathed outloud as she began to spoon some of the summer squash into her plate.
The group began to laugh as they all served themselves to the meal.
Nick looked over to Greg and said, "You can call it, Mr. Floppy."
A/N: I found all of those dishes on various websites about eating insects.
ant brood tacos grilled tarantula spiders braised ant brood chicatana empanadas silkworm pupae stir-fry